"No way—"
The next morning, Viola walked out of the mansion door to find the person she dreaded the most waiting for her. Arms crossed and head cocked sideways, deep-red eyes glared from the distance, and a shiver crept up her spine.
"Hurry along," Cervena growled. "Don't waste any more of my time." She turned away and mumbled to herself, "Why do I even have to do this in the first place?" She huffed as Viola gingerly walked towards her.
"H-Hel-Hello," her voice quivered, "I-I will be training under you today…I don't— I mean— I look forward to—"
"Shut up!" she hissed. "I don't care about you or anything you say. Let's just get this done with!"
Viola nodded and kept her mouth shut from then on. Several golden clones, resembling creepers, appeared out of thin air in front of them. Most likely created by Aurelia, though she was nowhere in sight when Viola looked around.
"I won't waste time on explaining what is supposed to be done. Just follow my lead or quit being a Hunter."
Viola gulped and, in a split second, Cervena vanished from her spot, reappearing again behind the creeper clones. And, in the next moment, all the creepers were chopped into several pieces.
What even happened? She was so fast...she was practically invisible!
"You look like you've seen a ghost," Cervena remarked. "Which is not the kind of look I was expecting." She grimaced. "Nevertheless, tell me what you learnt from that?"
Viola stayed silent.
"You may speak up." She sighed with annoyance.
"Speed!" Viola answered with a confident smile. "This training is about speed!"
"The question was about how I did it." She crossed her arms and looked away. "But I suppose you got the gist of it." Viola smiled with joy, ignoring the first half of her sentence. "Then I'll be seeing you tomorrow."
"What?!"
"I am busy." She glanced back at her with a slight frown. "Did you really think I'd stay here all day helping the annoying disappointment that is you?" She turned away. "I got more important business to deal with. You can help yourself."
"B-But wait—"
Before Viola could say anything in return, Cervena disappeared in an instant. She was unsure about what to do, except for training on her own. And her heart continued to ache several seconds after hearing such harsh words.
Well…at least she didn't try to kill me…yet…
"Um…"
A familiar voice spoke up from behind her, making her flinch. She turned around to find Luna smiling nervously. "D-Don't mind her," she said. "That's just how she always is. In fact, I'm surprised Aurelia even convinced her to train you…"
"I am surprised too." Viola sighed softly. "I'm sorry if you're here to watch again. There won't be anything cool happening, I suppose."
"Oh, don't worry!" Luna grinned. "I am not here to watch. I knew this was going to happen, so I am here to help you."
Purple eyes glowed, and Viola's shadow emerged from the ground. Seeing it again, dread filled her heart as she backed away from it.
"Not again!"
"No, I won't make this one unfair! I promise!" Luna let out a nervous laugh. "This time, you can hurt it using just your fists. I do advise using magic, though." She lowered her gaze and fidgeted with her fingers. "I just…wanted to give you something to train yourself with."
"Oh, how kind of you." She patted Luna's head, who responded with a hearty giggle.
"Cervena didn't explain it," Luna continued, "but your goal is to outspeed her in killing the clone creepers. As long as you can kill more than her, you will pass your training, even if it's just one number higher than hers. And you will be tested every morning. If you fail, however, you will spend the rest of the day training again."
"That…doesn't sound too bad…" She let out an awkward laugh that stopped halfway as she recalled how agile the red-haired was.
I hope…
The next morning, several golden creepers appeared before them. Before Viola could even take a step forward, Cervena was already gone. Viola dashed forward in a panic, fists reaching out for even a single creeper. But Cervena had long taken care of all, grimacing at Viola before disappearing in an instant yet again. She had failed. Miserably.
If Emily is best at hand-to-hand combat, and the Barnetts have the best coordination...then would Cervena be the fastest Hunter?
A week went by. Every morning, she would be tested, but she'd always fail. She could never reach or even come close to Cervena's speed. Let alone kill more creepers than her, Viola was barely able to snatch one for herself by the seventh day. Cervena didn't even bother addressing her or teaching her anything to help her pass the test. The only times she spoke to Viola were when she shouted at her for showing up late.
But how can mere magic reinforcement achieve this level of agility?! Unless...she's using something else along with it? Her magic element?
Another six days passed. Viola was able to snatch away three more kills. But, she was still far from beating her 'trainer'. Luna always helped her and would even give her a few tips. But the violet girl fell short every morning.
I can't even tell what her magic is. She's too fast for the eyes!
"F-For real?!"
Viola exclaimed with shock upon hearing Cervena finally talk to her on the fourteenth day of their 'training'.
"You've passed the stage," Cervena repeated with a huff. "Now, head on to the next and stop bothering me every morning." She grimaced and walked away to the trees.
"But I never even came close to her speed—"
"She's just annoyed," Luna said, yet again surprising Viola from behind her. "She is the least concerned about whether or not you complete your training."
How does she always manage to sneak up behind me like that?! Ever since I learnt about sensing auras, no one else has been able to do that!
"In your eyes," Viola asked, "did I truly pass?"
"No," Luna answered with a soft sigh. "But, you've worked hard and given it your best. And that's enough, right?" She smiled widely. "Then, are you ready for the final duel?"
"For what?!"
"Don't act surprised." Luna giggled. "You've known about it from the very beginning. Surely you…didn't forget?"
"No, I do remember! I was just confused because…I've trained with everyone but Silver…and that mysterious 'brown-haired' Hunter I'm yet to meet!. At the very least, shouldn't Silver train me next?"
"Unfortunately, no," Luna replied, and Viola's heart sank. "Being our strongest Hunter, he is extremely busy, and therefore has no time to train you."
And here I was dreaming…also, did she say 'strongest'? Teasing my curiosity here, aren't we?!
"As for the other Hunter…she just joined us recently, like eight months ago," Luna continued, narrowing her eyes. "Strange…she still hasn't returned from her mission. And she left even before you joined."
"Could it be that….she…"
"Oh, no!" Luna shook her head, noticing Viola's worried frown. "She's still with us! Aurelia would know if one of us…is no longer in this world."
"Well, that's assuring…right?"
"Anyway!" Luna forced a chuckle. "You have six days to practice and recollect everything you've learnt. And, on the seventh day, you shall duel against Yukari for your final test. If you succeed, you will officially become a Hunter!"
"And if…I lose?" Viola gulped.
"Then…it will be up to Yukari to decide your fate," Luna answered with a sad undertone. "Make sure that you, at least, don't disappoint her. Then perhaps, even if you lose, she will give you another chance instead of outright sending you back home."
"I…I will give it my all!" Viola spoke in a determined voice.
"Great!" Luna smiled widely. "I wish you luck!"
And so, for the next six days, Viola trained on her own from morning till night, recollecting everything she had learned so far. Everyone else who had trained her previously, excluding Cervena and Aurelia, also helped her practice whenever they weren't busy. Everyone cheered and prayed for her to win. None wanted her to leave so soon. Especially Emily.
"Don't worry!" The blue-haired smacked her shoulder, and Viola whined. "If she sends you back home, I'll just drag you back here again!"
"I-I'd prefer if you don't!"
But I cannot go back, or I'll only endanger my parents. I cannot return until I'm strong enough to protect them from every threat, no matter how deadly…
The seventh day arrived, and Viola found herself back in the front yard. A wooden sword hung on her back, and a few knives of the same material were kept on a separate plane, waiting to be summoned by her later.
As much as I hate it, I must stay here…
On the opposite side stood her opponent, her final trainer. Hazel eyes glared from the distance, which she returned with a determined yet fearful gaze. The cold wind blew on the other's ponytail, making it waver like a menacing tornado. And one hand firmly held a wooden sword.
And I…I must win!
"You're already in the final stage of training after only two months of being here," Yukari remarked. "I had little expectations. So, I must say that I am impressed."
Viola took in a deep breath. Yukari's words gave her a confident grin, but her heart still raced. Near the mansion walls, several feet away from them, stood Emily, Luna, Ray, Zane, and Aurelia. They were all eager to see the duel and its outcome. And they were all cheering for Viola.
I've come this far…I won't be pushed back!
"To win," Yukari explained, "all you have to do is relieve me of my weapon. But to lose, I will have to relieve you of your…fighting spirit."
Viola gasped, taken aback by her last sentence.
"She meant knocking you out."
The girl flinched in her spot when the sudden voice spoke in her head. But calmed down once she caught Aurelia winking at her, realising it was her speaking through telepathy again. Her clarification didn't really ease Viola, though.
"I will only use magic to protect myself," Yukari continued. "I will not use it directly against you. But you can and will make use of everything you've learnt so far. Understood?" Viola nodded. "Good. We'll begin with your first move. Whenever you're ready."
Viola took her fighting stance, forming fists aimed at her final trainer, leaving her weapons untouched. Yukari took a stance that resembled a Japanese samurai, with her blade pointed at Viola. Hazel irises froze over, and her glare shook Viola to the core. Even so, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
And when they'd open again, the duel would begin.
Within a split second, Viola reappeared in front of Yukari with a punch aimed at the blade. But the other quickly swung back with equal force. Their collision resulted in a thundering impact, sending strong winds in every direction.
"Not bad," Yukari remarked, as fists and a blade clashed intensely, matching each other's momentum. Her hands would sting at every impact, but she never wavered.
It's quite odd. Her weapon is clearly wood, but it feels like punching metal! Is she reinforcing it with her magic? And to this extent…is that even possible?!
Yukari took the lead and began pushing back Viola, who took a few hits to the body. She lost her footing and fell to the floor after getting smacked on the side of her face by the opposite end of Yukari's weapon. Viola flicked the blood off her mouth and swiftly got back up, which impressed Yukari. This time, before Viola could make a move, a strong gust of wind flew past her as Yukari reappeared behind. But Viola was quick to turn around and block her attack.
This is bad. If I don't start striking back, I'm going to lose!
She leapt a few feet backwards and threw a knife at her enemy. She had merely thought of it, and the weapon appeared in her hand. But with one swing of the sword, Yukari swatted away the projectile. However, she was distracted, and Viola took this opportunity to leap and strike from above with a kick. Unfortunately, Yukari was quick-witted. She swiftly sidestepped and swung her weapon in an upward motion. The tip of the blade struck Viola's chin before her feet could even touch the ground. She flew back up again and landed a few feet away with a loud thud.
"If you're trying to deceive me, at least do it properly," her enemy spoke coldly. "Not that it would've worked, but perhaps you'd feel the satisfaction of giving a committed attempt."
"Damn it," she growled, getting back up again. She felt a bruise forming on her chin, but ignored all pain. Next, she ran around her opponent in circles at a speed far from human. One could barely see afterimages of her, let alone tell what she was up to.
"Quite the rash move," Yukari said, upon seeing Viola reappearing and dashing towards her, finally holding her own wooden sword.
"Genius!" Emily exclaimed with excitement when she and everyone else saw several knives launched from different directions towards the only one who seemingly had not noticed them yet.
"And quite predictable," added Yukari as she, in the blink of an eye, took care of every projectile with one powerful swing, before meeting with Viola's sword just on time. An annoyed frown formed on Viola's face.
"Unfortunately." Aurelia sighed. "She's up against someone who is far too experienced to be fooled by such tactics. Viola will have to step up her game and do something no one has ever seen if she wants to beat her."
The two battled fiercely with their weapons, creating sparks despite not using metallic blades, and the constant clacking noise pierced everyone's ears. Unfortunately, Viola's sword started to crack due to not having magic reinforcement, unlike Yukari's.
That's fine, I have one more trick up my sleeve!
One last clash, and her sword crumbled into pieces. But, before the other could hit her, she grabbed the blade with her hand and held it in place. Taking out her final remaining knife, Viola rammed it at Yukari's hand that held the weapon. She had hoped for a violet flash, but there was none…throughout the entire fight.
"Too weak," Yukari said, as the knife, unfortunately, broke upon impact. She failed to reinforce it, resulting in normal wood striking metal. The shock at the failed attempt made Viola lose her grip on Yukari's sword, who then kicked her off.
Viola backed away, but it was too late. Yukari caught up and struck the side of Viola's neck with the blunt end of the blade. And, to make sure her opponent was properly knocked out, she lifted her weapon upright and violently brought it back down. The bottom tip connected to Viola's back, right below her neck, and she fell forward to the floor with another loud thud.
"N-Not yet," Viola uttered as the whole world spun, and her vision started to blur. "I-I can't…lose…"
She tried to get back up, but immediately dropped unconscious. And before she did, she heard several footsteps rushing towards her, and Yukari's words.
"Next time, put more emotion into it."
…
"I can still fight!" Viola shouted, jolting awake in her bed. "I can still— oh…" Her voice dropped in tone and volume when the reality came crashing down on her. "I…lost…"
"You did," Emily said, seated on a chair beside her, giving her a sad look. "You fought well, though."
"All that hard work," Viola mumbled, barely able to sit upright on the bed. "And for nothing—"
"Hey, don't lose heart!" Emily tried to cheer her up. "At least, you gave it your best!"
"But I lost…and now I will be sent back—"
The door pushed open, and a new person stepped in. Towering over Viola's small and quivering figure, hazel eyes gazed down coldly. Even the blue-haired shivered under her presence.
"P-Please go easy on her—"
"Viola," Yukari called, her voice stern and sharp, cutting off Emily's, "you lost the duel. Do you understand what that means?"
"I do not wish to go back," the other retorted. "I-I beg you, don't banish me!"
"Even after several weeks of training, your movements felt sloppy and predictable. Your skill with the sword was impressive, but you never once reinforced yourself with magic or even used it at all. Did you forget that this wasn't one of your normal school fights?"
"S-Sorry, but give me a chance! I'll do better nex—"
"A single misstep could decide your fate, Viola. This is life and death. You cannot lack in any one thing, be it magic or yourself. A single error could be the difference between bringing back a dead body…"
The other two gulped.
"Or never returning ever again."
"I…" Viola's voice faltered. She looked down, unable to keep eye contact any longer with someone far superior to her. The hope within her shattered, and she was mentally preparing herself to pack up and leave.
"Three weeks."
Viola lifted her head to face Yukari again, who had turned around to face the door.
"Even though you lost," she continued, "I saw the potential in you. With more practice, I believe that you can make it. Therefore, I give you three more weeks. Figure out what went wrong, find a new approach, and practice on where you lack whilst improving where your strength lies."
"T-Thank you!" Viola exclaimed with tearful joy. "For giving me another chance!"
"However, you must not take help from any of your past trainers. They are busy and cannot waste more precious time helping you. You're on your own from here."
"But—" Viola had a look of worry, immediately replaced by determination. "I-I understand. I will do my best!"
"Do not disappoint us." Yukari stormed out of the room, leaving the two in silence.
"See!" Emily jumped in joy. "You did your best, and now she's giving you another shot!"
"I-I can't believe it!" Viola said, wiping her tears. "I had given up hope and was ready to leave…"
"If you had left, I would've dragged you back here anyway!"
"Of course, you would." The two laughed along.
But her moment of respite was short. A long and gruelling training awaited her.
And further that, a much crueller fate.
...
Over the next three weeks, Viola worked hard. She would spend most of her day in the mansion's front yard, training all alone. From hand combat to the sword, she would practice everything, especially focusing on magic.
Luna would usually watch from a distance. Emily and Zane checked on her often. Yukari also visited on rarer occasions, but she never spoke to her. As ordered, none helped her, no matter how much they wanted to. And when they did try to sneakily aid her, Viola herself would stop them, even if there was no way Yukari could know.
"But even if I can use magic reinforcement properly," Viola muttered to herself, while seated on the ground for a small break, "would it be able to match hers? Will it be useful?" She stared at the wooden sword in her hand. "Especially when she uses the same weapon as me! Why did a sword have to be my best match?!"
She immediately got back up and started striking the wooden dummy that Aurelia gave her to practice magic. Viola was able to land violet glowing punches more consistently, but she was unable to imbue magic on her weapons.
"There's only a week left!" She whined, continuously hitting the dummy with a wooden sword, mostly out of frustration. "If I can't learn to, at least, reinforce my weapons within these seven days…I will lose again!"
"Enough," a familiar voice spoke out as her weapon was stopped in place. "Striking it a million times without focus will do you no good."
"Silver?" Viola called out, surprised to see the grey and black-haired boy after several weeks. "I-I haven't seen you in a while—"
"Let me teach you how to properly channel magic towards your weapon," he cut her off, standing beside her and facing the dummy.
"B-But I'm not supposed to take any help!"
"From your 'past trainers'," he said. "Now, listen and learn."
"O-Okay—"
"Your focus is on the wrong thing." He pointed at the sword. "Your weapon is already enchanted and imbued with magic by the Celestial. What you're supposed to do is awaken it by unleashing your own."
Viola's eyes widen with realisation.
"Don't focus too much on the tool. Focus on you, and the tool will follow behind."
She changed her focus and swung at the dummy. The strike wasn't imbued with magic. But with the new knowledge she had received, Viola continuously attacked the dummy. Until, finally, her hands glowed violet along with the blade, which exploded on the dummy and completely obliterated its upper half.
"I-I did it!"
"You're a quick learner," Silver remarked. "That's impressive. Now, spar with me."
"Sure— WHAT?!"
"Don't be afraid." He moved a few feet away from her. "You won't win against me. But that's not what your goal is."
"I-Isn't that what sparring means?!"
Light-grey eyes glowed faintly as a strong gust of wind flew inches away from her face. She gulped, glancing at the ground below to find a long and thin horizontal crack, almost as if something had cut into it.
"Fighting against Yukari is almost like facing an invisible enemy," he said, as another gust flew towards her. She sidestepped against it and saw another 'cut' on the ground. "You'll have to be alert and cautious at all times."
"B-But that wasn't my experience facing her previously!"
"You didn't give her a reason to."
Using her sharp senses, she was able to block the next wind attack with her sword. But the blade began to chip.
"Reinforce it. Do not let your weapon break."
Unfortunately, the next hit broke her sword, and Silver forced her to pick another.
"We're not stopping until you can land a single hit on me."
"That should be easy—"
Viola regretted her words when wave after wave of strong winds came at her. Silver stood in a single spot, his arms crossed and his body barely moving an inch. And every time she'd move forward, she would be pushed twice backwards.
No doubt he's called the strongest!
"Didn't think he'd actually do it," Yukari muttered under her breath, secretly listening from a distance. She leaned on the side mansion wall, away from their view, with her arms folded and her face turned the opposite way. "By his own choice, in fact. No one ever told him." She began walking away.
"He must see something in you. Or rather...someone."
Silver was merciless. He never gave her breaks. Viola's only moments of respite would be when her weapon broke, and she had to grab another. But the girl was determined, and the fire in her eyes remained unwavering.
The week went by. On the first day, she barely made any progress in closing the distance between them. But, luckily, he stayed behind and helped her daily. And, by the last day before her final test, she successfully managed to land a single hit on him.
Something tells me he was holding back the entire time…
"Thank you." She smiled lightly at him. "But isn't this the same person who didn't even bother sharing his name? Why would you help me?"
"Because it bothered me seeing you constantly fail so miserably," he grunted, then switching to a mumbled tone with his head lowered. "And…as an apology for not coming sooner that day."
"Oh," she spoke out after a few seconds of silence, her eyes wide open. "I-It's alright! Nothing we can do about that anymore…and it's best not to dwell in the past." Her face then lit up with glee.
"Let's just look ahead and walk towards a brighter future, shall we?"
His expression widened as he stared at her. Her words triggered a warm memory deep inside his frozen heart. Every moment with her tugged at his soul, giving him a certain contentment that only existed in the distant past.
"So, about your name—"
But, before she could finish, Silver disappeared from her sight. She looked around hopelessly, and he was nowhere to be found. Sighing in little disappointment, she whispered under her breath.
"Guess I'll continue calling you Silver."